The New Republic’s Peter Beinart wrote a provocative piece this week on the Dem Senator that seems to drive liberal activists more nuts than most Republicans: Connecticut’s Joe Lieberman. As Beinart explains, the left is letting Lieberman’s position on the war obscure what is an otherwise progressive record. Why are MoveOn, Daily Kos, and so […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) seemed on track for a big win in November, with polls showing him with a big lead over Jack Carter (D), but Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman (D) […]
When “Justice Sunday III” is held this weekend, and religious right activists from across the country gather for the national broadcast, the message will be familiar, but the setting may not. One might assume that the far-right, neo-theocratic rally would be held in the Bible Belt at a fundamentalist church. Instead, Dobson, Falwell, Santorum & […]
Presidential recess powers are supposed to be reserved for filling urgent vacancies when the Senate is in recess, which is why it’s so frustrating to see Bush abuse this power to an unprecedented extent. As far as the White House is concerned, the notion of Senate confirmation might as well cease to exist. The president […]
Earlier this week, the administration explained that the president put his signature on a congressional measure banning torture, but Bush still believes he can ignore the law whenever he feels it’s necessary. Yesterday, three key senators who fought to pass the provision responded. Needless to say, they’re not happy. John W. Warner Jr., a Virginia […]
Over the last week or so, many supporters of the administration have pointed to Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, as a defender of Bush’s warrantless-search program. It’s a notion that has, unfortunately, been picked up by a variety of news outlets, including Fox News, CBS, and Time — […]
I’m a little behind on this one, but it’s a story that deserves all the attention it’s been getting. “Bizarre” doesn’t quite do the controversy justice. NBC’s Andrea Mitchell was interviewing New York Times reporter James Risen yesterday, discussing Bush’s warrantless-search program, which Risen helped expose. Mitchell, mid-way through the interview, asked, “You don’t have […]
Scott McClellan repeated a common White House claim in today’s press briefing about the reports that have exposed Bush’s warrantless-search program. “[T]his is a highly classified program. It is an important program. The fact that this has been openly and publicly discussed has harmed our national security. This involves intelligence activities relating to the war […]
With the kind of message discipline usually reserved for Republicans, Democrats in DC have been criticizing the “culture of corruption” theme for a year now. Republicans, of course, have made it easier by consistently giving Dems new opportunities to push the phrase, but the fact remains that the public seems to believe it. About half […]
Look out, everyone, Dick Cheney is angrily defending the administration’s warrantless-search program, and he’s not letting facts, context, reason, or logic stand in his way. He said as the memory of September 11 faded, some politicians were “yielding to the temptation to downplay the ongoing threat to our country and to back away from the […]